Rothko Chapel responds to aborted Kanye West screening

In the wake of last Friday night’s failed Kanye West video happenings around Houston, one of the locations — Rothko Chapel — that had been picked by local street teams to show the rapper’s “New Slaves” clip has released a statement.

This comes from Emilee Dawn Whitehurst, executive director of Rothko Chapel, with emphasis added by 29-95:

“The Rothko Chapel welcomes collaborative partnerships with artists and organizations to advance human rights, foster dialogue, and nurture reverence. As a matter of policy, the Chapel does not function as a public venue for outside organizations or individuals to use without permission.

The Rothko Chapel had no prior knowledge of Mr. Kanye West’s event and had not authorized the gathering. It is our pleasure to work with partners in advance to create meaningful experiences for the public. As always, the Rothko Chapel is open every day from 10am-6pm for people to enjoy.”

The video was scheduled to be screened at 9:45 p.m. last Friday night on the side of the chapel, but Houston Police shut that one down, as well as one set for the Houston Public Library’s central location. A screening at the George Bush Monument didn’t pan out either.

West was not to appear at any of these screenings, but that didn’t stop fans from showing up in droves to the locations.

Whitehurst has “no idea” why someone picked the meditative art space — commissioned by John and Dominique de Menil in 1964 — as a venue for the “New Slaves” video.

West was also unable to screen “New Slaves” at the Alamo:

“The Menil Collection maintains a security guard and the campus grounds close daily at dark,” said Whitehurst. “If we had heard from West’s people beforehand we could have possibly worked something out in principle. The chapel is a place for public gatherings of meaningful import, and we work with musicians regularly.”

The next season of programming for the chapel actually does include a video installation in honor of the upcoming International Day of Peace.